All posts by Thrive Health

Do you ever experience pain in your feet, knees, shins or heels? This could be the result of misalignment and uneven weight distribution in your feet. The way that you stand, rest your weight and walk all affect the mechanics of your feet, and in turn can impact your entire body.

Your feet are a complex system of bones, ligaments, muscles and tendons working together to support your body. The arches are under enormous stress and strain every day. If arches lose their ability to flex and return to their normal shape, your feet will not be able to properly absorb the shock of walking. Over time, this added stress can cause break down in the joints of the feet and the rest of the body. Enter: orthotics.

You don’t have to be an athlete to benefit from a gait assessment and orthotics. If your weight isn’t evenly distributed when you stand upright, you’re not alone. Many people are inclined toward either pronation or supination:

Image source: http://ow.ly/hkN0t

Over-pronation: This occurs when the foot rolls inward because of the angle of the heel bone, and often the arch collapses. Weight is borne primarily on the inner sides of the feet.

Supination: This is opposite to pronation, and refers to when the foot rolls outward, lifting the heel from the inside of the foot, and re-distributing weight so that the forefoot and big toe lift slightly off the ground.

Orthotics are custom-shaped inserts for your shoes that help to correct and compensate for the misaligned movements and position of your feet. While many people visit a podiatrist for orthotics, a chiropractic assessment is worth considering instead. A chiropractor can help to treat your entire body, and identify which lower body pain is in fact related to foot movement and weight-bearing. Chiropractors will use a number of techniques to better understand the mechanical functioning of your feet, but will also help you address and understand the root causes for other sites of pain.

These diagnostic assessments are particularly important for pregnant women. During pregnancy, the stress on your feet and arches increases as you grow and gain weight over a relatively short period of time. During the nine months that you’ll carry your baby, your feet may change shape, and you might notice pain in your knees and ankles. Custom orthotics can help to prevent post-pregnancy damage to your feet and to improve comfort.

For more information and diagrams about orthotics and foot biomechanics, we like this blog’s comprehensive and highly visual overview. When you’re ready for a better assessment of your own stance, foot alignment and walking biomechanics, give Dr. Wise a visit!

If your toddler or baby has caught a bug, you’re probably experiencing a horrible helpless feeling. It’s upsetting seeing your little one succumb to illness of any kind, and it can also be stressful determining how to administer any sort of treatment that is completely natural and non-invasive. Further, you don’t just want to soothe your baby; you want to treat the illness. Fortunately there are a number of tricks and treatments that have proven effective at not only helping your child feel better, but also strengthening immunity to avoid future illnesses.

Here are some of the best natural medicines for treating your baby’s symptoms.

Steam: Warm, moist air can help to treat coughing, so consider putting a humidifier in your baby’s nursery. This will also soothe your baby’s throat and nose if they are dry and irritated.

Bath: A warm bath is an effective and gentle way to clear your baby’s chest and sinuses of congestion. Consider adding a few drops of eucalyptus oil into the tub, or rubbing the oil gently onto your baby’s back.

Postural drainage: If your baby has a runny nose, it’s a good idea to drain it. This will quickly help clear some of the mucous and make breathing easier. You can use a natural saline rinse, or try postural drainage. Hold your baby on your lap face up, with your hand held firmly under the neck. Angle your baby’s head down so that it is slightly lower than the chest. Tap your fingers firmly in the middle of the chest; this will gently loosen the mucous lining your baby’s lungs.

Preventative Measures

There are also a number of steps you can take to improve your child’s immunity and overall health, to prevent future illness. These include:

> Breastfeeding for as long as possible. Breast milk contains important nutrients and antibodies to keep your baby healthy.

> Washing your toddler’s hands for him or her. When children are too young to do it properly, wash their hands for them with plenty of soap and warm water.

> Strictly avoiding contact with anyone who is unwell- this includes you. If a family member is sick, keep them away from the baby not just until they feel better, but until they are completely well.

> Introducing solid foods that are rich in nutrition. Make sure that your baby gets the requisite amounts iron, vitamin C and other nutrients to promote health. To read more about introducing your baby to solids, read our blog post on the subject here.

If you are concerned about your baby’s health, or observing symptoms that make you anxious or confused, don’t hesitate to seek peace of mind by speaking with a health practitioner. It’s time to go to the doctor if:

> Your baby has a fever, especially under 3 months of age.
> Your baby is coughing up mucous that isn’t clear or white.
> Your baby is vomiting consistently.
> You notice a rash anywhere on the body or face accompanying your baby’s illness.
> Your baby or toddler is showing signs of pain.

Lastly, always make sure that you and your baby are always clothed appropriately for the wind, snow, rain, or whatever else Mother Nature is throwing our way. For more on this topic, check out our post “Dressing an Infant for Winter Weather.”

We know that babies often can’t communicate their needs clearly, and this makes it difficult to assess a new situation or environment. If it’s your baby’s first winter, you might be having a worrisome time deciding how to dress your infant for the cold, wet, windy (and sometimes unpredictable) weather we’ve been having.

Many parents’ intuitive move is to bundle, bundle, bundle. This is understandable, since babies are temperature-sensitive and their immune systems are still developing. They also don’t have much hair, making their heads highly exposed to the elements. We must remember however, that overheating is a real risk for young, sensitive babies, whether it’s in the car seat, stroller or crib.

Keeping Warm the Right Way

You’re right to keep your baby warm and dry, and to take special care to protect infant hands, feet, faces and heads. Make sure that your baby’s ears are covered to avoid the risk of an ear infection. Always cover hands and feet properly, but don’t necessarily use these as an indication of your baby’s temperature. Babies’ have different circulatory systems than adults, so testing their fingers or toes to the touch isn’t always an accurate way to tell if your child is feeling chilly.

While you should take your baby’s warmth seriously, you should also be mindful of overheating. Watch for signs that your baby or toddler is uncomfortable. He or she might tug at blankets and clothing, squirm and display reddened skin. Layering is a smart way to prepare for uncertain temperatures. This way, if you notice your baby overheating, you can easily remove a blanket or sweater. This is especially prudent if you’re on the go, and transitioning your baby between indoor and outdoor temperatures.

Be careful when swaddling as well. In the car, this can trap heat and raise your baby’s internal temperature. If you notice your baby fussing in the car and showing a flushed face, check that you haven’t overdressed or over wrapped. Remember that you can always add layers before taking your child out of the car.

Lastly, in wet, wintery weather it’s important to not only dress for warmth, but to keep your baby dry. Choose water-resistant fabrics when buying snowsuits, coats, mitts, and stroller covers. Remove damp clothes immediately when you come into the house –this means both you and baby. One of the most important factors for ensuring your baby is well taken care of is keeping YOU, the caregiver, healthy too! So always take a moment before you walk out the door to ensure that you’ve protected your hands and ears, and are dressed suitably.

It is common for women to suffer from depression and anxiety following the birth of a baby. About 10 to 20% of women are diagnosed with postpartum depression. What is less common, however, is our understanding of postpartum depression in men. Recent research has found that 10 to 25 % of new fathers may suffer from depression. Dads or secondary caregivers experience stress related to feeling rejected after the arrival of the child, relationship or marital dysfunction, burden of financial responsibility, grieving pre-baby freedom and lifestyle, or feeling overwhelmed by partner’s postpartum depression.

Paternal postnatal depression (PPND) is often overlooked because, generally speaking, men don’t express suffering the same way women do. For example, men may not acknowledge feeling sad, guilty, and hopeless. Here are some symptoms to look for in men:

Increased anger and conflict, violent behaviour

Increased use of alcohol or drugs

Frustration or irritability

Lower threshold for stress

Risk-taking and impulsivity

Physical symptoms such as headaches, pain, digestive problems

Fatigue

Loss of interest in work and hobbies

If these symptoms are familiar to you or a loved one you can get help through therapy and naturopathic or psychiatric medication. For more information, check out postpartummen, a website for men suffering from PPND and in the book Postpartum Depression for Dummies, by Dr. Shoshan Bennett that has a section on depression in fathers.

Another great resource is Parenting From the Inside Out by Daniel Siegel and Mary Hartzell. This book helps to examine how past issues, including trauma or how you were raised as a child, impact your ability to parent.

There are a lot of funky words that Western communities have had to acquaint themselves with when it comes to alternative medicine and health: yoga, reiki, pilates, Ayurveda, feng shui. Here’s a word you might not be quite so familiar with: moxa. Associated with acupuncture, the buzz word is short for Moxibustion, a traditional Chinese practice that targets a range of ailments including digestive disorders, arthritic pain, and asthma.

The Chinese believed that the application of heat and even burning to targeted parts of the body can increase circulation and encourage restorative properties. In fact, some traditional moxa treatments actually entailed burning and blistering the skin at targeted points on the body. Don’t worry though- today, Western versions of the treatment will typically only involve warming the areas of the body to be treated. Instead of directly applying a flame or lit paper to the skin, modern moxa keeps heat close to the body without contact.

Moxa 101

Here’s how a moxa treatment session will typically go: rolled leaves of plants like mugwort, ginger and mulberry are crushed and either wrapped in paper like a cigarette, or densely packed to resemble a cigar. At Thrive Health, Dr. Heins uses the latter, avoiding potential for burning paper accidents. The “cigarette” is lit at one end and depending on the practitioner, the stick is either held above the body or carefully placed on the skin. Sometimes the moxa stick is rotated or tapped against the skin as well. At Thrive, our moxa treatments never touch the skin, but have the same intended soothing effect. Patients find moxa to be deeply relaxing.

Moxa is believed to soothe and improve a variety of ailments and health conditions. The healing powers of moxa are derived from its perceived ability to provide the body with the necessary balancing “yang” energy. This energy is believed to direct the body’s movement and temperature. Moxa can also be useful in treating a pregnant woman whose baby is presenting breech, and for helping to ease post-birth pelvic and lower back pain.

Heating Needle Moxa

In this alternative form of moxibustion therapy, dried mugwort is rolled and placed on the head of the acupuncture needle. The practitioner then lights the roll which burns slowly in an upright position while the needle stays inserted in the target point. The heat from the burning mugwort travels through the needle and deep into the muscles. This is effective for arthritic muscle and joint pain.

As with many alternative and Eastern therapies that have been adopted by different trained Western health professionals, treatments and procedures will vary slightly from practitioner to practitioner. The patient’s condition is the primary factor in determining which form of moxa will be most effective, so your practitioner will have to assess the best course of action for your individual case.

Moxa can be a wonderful way to soothe and restore a targeted area or muscle by returning an equilibrium in energies to the body. If you want to avoid synthetic, over-the-counter medications for pain relief, moxa is definitely worth a try.

You’ve been there. You walk out of the office feeling as if you might not live to see another day. In spite of feeling fresh and energized when you started your day, you might notice that by the late afternoon you are exhausted, sluggish, sore or nauseous. You don’t skip meals, you try to get a good night’s sleep and you don’t smoke or drink excessively. So what gives?

Some of the most common cause-and-effect health factors could be to blame. You might not see the harm you’re doing to your wellbeing and energy levels with every day habits. See if any of these behaviours could be taking a toll on your health or mood during the weekdays.

#1. Caffeine crashes: If you’re overindulging in coffee as a way to stay awake and alert, you might wind up feeling tired and lethargic. When you consume caffeine, it stimulates your adrenal glands. Adrenalin produces the boost in energy that you experience after enjoying your coffee-likely first thing in the morning. The caffeine also causes a slight increase in dopamine levels. When these effects wear off however- usually right in the middle of your work day- you might notice a marked drop in your energy and mood.

#2. Low blood sugar: When you’re working a full day, even if you’re seated for most of it, you need to properly fuel your body. Drops in your blood sugar could be making you feel tired, irritable, light-headed and unfocused. Try to remain very conscious of the nutritional quality of what you eat, and ensure that you get enough protein. You probably know by now that if you reach for something sugary as a pick-me-up, you won’t feel full for a sustained period of time. But beware- sugary doesn’t just mean candy. Take a hard look at your snacks- granola bars, juice cocktails, crackers and cereals can be very high in sugar. These simple carbohydrates won’t keep you full for long or provide you with any real nutritional value. Instead, opt for a high-impact snack that is low in sugar and contains protein and healthy fats. You might also try breaking up your munchies into several small meals throughout the day. This way you avoid the extremes of feeling drowsy or uncomfortably full after a large lunch, or experiencing a dip in your blood sugar mid-afternoon.

#3. Misunderstanding your sleep needs: Not everyone’s optimal night’s sleep is 8 hours. Many people require more, and others need less. Quality counts too. If you go to bed at 11 but keep the television on and drift in and out of consciousness for an hour, you aren’t benefiting in the same way as you would if you’d slept soundly for that same time period. Unplugging fully and getting the requisite number of z’s can be difficult, but when you make it a priority, you’ll notice the difference in your day.

#4. Poor ergonomics: Feeling stiff? Achy? Tight? Make sure that your office furniture is properly adjusted for optimal ergonomics! By following a basic office ergonomics guide, you can help reduce strain to your upper and lower back, neck, hips and wrists. You may not notice discomfort right away with a poorly arranged set-up. Over time however, muscle strain from distortions in your body’s positioning combined with the effects of poor posture will take its toll. Spare yourself long-term damage to your alignment and avoid sore muscles by taking the time to adjust your desk and computer.

#5. Eye strain + immobility: Too much of a good thing just isn’t good. No matter how focused you are on your projects, or how attentive you remain to your inbox, it’s always a wise idea to give your eyes a rest and your legs a stretch. Make sure your screen is about an arm’s length from your face, and adjust your screen brightness settings so that you aren’t squinting. Ensure your work environment is properly lit, and try to look up and away from the screen about every 20 minutes, even if it’s just for 15 seconds. Every hour you should aim to stand and stretch your legs. Take a walk to the washroom or water fountain to improve circulation, or stand and stretch for 30 seconds to loosen your muscles.

These practices have the potential to grow into habit. Implementing these manageable changes to your daily practices on the job can drastically improve the way you feel at the end of the day. When you leave work still feeling healthy and energized, you’re far more likely to have a productive evening. With the momentum to make a home-cooked meal, hit the gym, or tackle a household project, you’ll keep your energy flow up, your metabolism humming, and your body happy right until bedtime.

So think about your habits and empower yourself with small changes. We guarantee you’ll feel better for it!

We’ve discussed a few of the ways that chiropractic care can benefit an expectant mother. Many women intuitively think of back pain relief when they hear the words “pre-natal” and “chiropractic,” but we know chiropractic adjustments to have other benefits for pregnant women than soothing a sore back.

One of these beneficial treatments is called the Webster Technique, an adjustment specifically designed and developed to help remove intra-uterine constraint. If your baby is not properly positioned to be birthed head-first, delivery can be longer, more taxing, and require additional invasive medical intervention. This technique is designed to remove constraint in the pelvis to free up space for the baby to move into a better position. Often, the result of removing this tension is that a baby that is improperly positioned will turn to make delivery less difficult.

…So Who’s Webster?

The Webster Technique is named for its founder Dr. Larry Webster who witnessed his daughter experience a very difficult delivery as the result of her baby presenting breech. The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) provides a detailed history of Dr. Webster’s experience and the events that led him to develop this technique. During the early stages of his daughter’s labour, Dr. Webster was able to keep performing chiropractic adjustments for her, but eventually hospital staff put a stop to this as the labour intensified and progressed. His birth of his grandchild was long and arduous. After this experience, Dr. Webster was eager to develop an adjustment specifically for pregnant women to help facilitate easier births by reducing the complications and difficulty involved when the baby presents as breech.

So the Webster Technique came into creation as Dr. Webster began caring for another pregnant mother whose baby needed help positioning for birth. After practicing his chiropractic adjustment on her for several weeks, the baby turned vertex and was delivered successfully.

Dr. Webster’s technique was formally implemented by the ICPA in 2000. Today, this technique, which is formally called the “Webster In-Utero Constraint Technique,” is widely used by chiropractors on pregnant patients. Its goal is to improve misalignments of the sacrum, the triangular bone at the very base of your back (kind of behind your pelvis).

But how will it help to re-position my baby?

Sacral subluxations are thought to be an underlying cause of difficult labours. In fact the Webster Technique’s effectiveness is based on the connection between sacral subluxations and factors contributing to “dystocia,” or difficult childbirths: things like ineffective pelvic contractions, poor uterine health, and the improper positioning of the baby. When your pelvic bones are misaligned, it can result in the twisting and tightening of your entire pelvic region. This is what prevents your baby from transitioning into the optimal position for birth, and those unyielding muscles also make labour and delivery more difficult.

The way to open your body for birth is to align it properly. Regular adjustments and use of the Webster’s Technique can help to optimize your pelvic position and supporting ligaments and muscles for giving birth vaginally, and allows baby to find the best position possible.

The first step is of course a personalized assessment with a chiropractor, who can tell you more about your body’s alignment, and how it might be better adjusted to optimize childbirth. Depending on the presence of any other pregnancy symptoms you might be experiencing , your chiropractor can also recommend other treatments to combine with the Webster Technique to further reduce nerve pressure and muscle pain.

If you’re a soon-to-be mom, your delivery is a momentous and exciting event! While childbirth is never predictable, the entire process can feel more stressful if your baby is presenting breech. If you’d like to chat about The Webster Technique or any other pregnancy-related adjustments, don’t forget that Dr. Wise has ICPA training to care for women during pregnancy with gentle, targeted techniques. Plus she loves to meet new moms! Make an appointment to meet her today.

Seeking alternative health therapies and treatments can be a leap of faith for some new patients. If you’re unversed in naturopathic medicine and holistic healing, you might be hesitant about your first encounter. Before you make an appointment, it’s important to clarify about Naturopathic philosophy to help you better understand what Naturopathic Doctors do!

Since patient-practitioner relationships in naturopathic medicine are built on trust and connection, it’s important to have a better understanding of who we are and what some of our beliefs are, rather than simply the treatments we offer. Hopefully these will translate into some serious considerations in favour of consulting a naturopathic team, but more importantly it will help you conceptualize naturopathic philosophy.

Make yourself at home at Thrive Health!

We’re warm, friendly, and family-oriented. Our commitment to organic, holistic and nature is all-encompassing, and extends to the atmosphere we create in our office. That means that when you walk into our clinic you should feel comfortable and at home. Your kids too!

We really want to get to know you. Before we treat you, we need some details –and we love the process of getting acquainted with patients! In addition to telling us the usual health history, we like to know about your lifestyle, work, diet and even things like your home life if you are comfortable to share. We want to know about your concerns and questions too- we’re here to learn about you as a person, not a patient.

We want to treat the problem, not just the symptoms. While we do have treatment options that help reduce discomfort and pain, we’re most interested in finding the underlying or root cause of whatever is ailing you or your child. Also critical to naturopathic philosophy is helping teach you about improving your health rather than simply diagnose. This way we build on your everyday health and long-term healing rather than simply short term treatments. Which brings us to our next principle…

We don’t just want to get you healthy; we want to keep you healthy! Naturopathic medicine is as much about prevention as it is about treatment. In fact, we believe that prevention is a powerful “drug” for many of the acute conditions and ailments that patients commonly suffer from. We’ll help you to improve your entire lifestyle to optimize your present and future health. We invest in our patients and look out for their psychological and physical wellbeing.

We (like you) try and avoid pain, side effects, invasiveness, and chemicals! It’s our goal to treat you gently, naturally and effectively. We understand that you want to minimize risk to your health, the health of your children, or the health of your unborn baby. We take these objectives seriously. Know that you’re in good hands and that treatment doesn’t have to be unpleasant; it can in fact be soothing and relaxing.

Naturopathic medicine and alternative therapies can provide you with a very unique brand of care. It’s particularly useful to examine these options if you’re in a position where traditional medicine isn’t working for you. For example if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to conceive, or looking to treat an infant or young child, you’ll likely want to avoid synthetic medicines and invasive practices. We can help you find the natural alternatives that will work best for you and your family.

Naturopathic care is also a great way to facilitate and support a journey to better health for those who experience ailments and discomfort that has lasted a long time but remained undiagnosed or unchanged. If you’ve long suffered from fatigue, aches, pains or digestive distress and you’re tired of it, a naturopathic team will help you to start identifying the problem. Even if you are sticking to a more traditional medical treatment plan for a specific condition, naturopathic care can be an effective way to supplement your other remedies and therapies.

With so many pain management therapies and drugs available, it can be difficult to determine a natural and gentle course of action. For those who suffer from chronic pain, often an alternative approach gives you a secondary, substitute or supplementary treatment option.

Yes but what is this “reiki”?

You might be unfamiliar with reiki since its introduction in Western alternative medicine is relatively recent. It is in fact an ancient Japanese practice based on a belief in the transfer of healing energy from practitioner to patient. During a session, the reiki practitioner will relax your muscles and open energy channels within the body. This is done either through direct touch, or by having the practitioner hold his or her hand just above the targeted area. Once restorative energies have been passed from the healer to the site of pain, patients will typically feel a reduction in stress, pain and fatigue.

Connecting the internal to the physical

Reiki is meant to soothe and repair both physically and mentally. There is an undeniable connection between a person’s anxiety levels and his or her ability to cope with pain. Reiki is meant to improve this coping capability by restoring productive energy. It is therefore not a cure for whatever ailment causes the pain, but has been an effective and soothing treatment for many patients.

One obvious benefit of reiki is its gentleness. For patients who cannot endure skin-to-skin contact, or for those who have been instructed to avoid any contact or rubbing, reiki is a comfortable and suitable choice. Additionally, it carries virtually no risk of adverse or side effects.

At Thrive Health we’re fortunate to have a very warm, skilled and compassion reiki practitioner in Monica Daoust. If you’re interested in learning more about the practice, you can expect a comfortable and rewarding introduction to reiki under her care. Click here to learn more about Monica, or book an appointment with her to continue your discovery of reiki!

A non-breathing or choking person can die in one minute. That’s about the time it will take you to read this blog post.

Please arm yourself with the necessary training to protect your loved ones and little ones. We’re hosting another Child CPR workshop on Saturday January 26 at Thrive Health. We’d love to see you there!

In this invaluable and interactive workshop with 2HEALTH First Aid you’ll learn:

> Why you need to rescue in 60 seconds or less
> When to call 911/EMS
> Why CPR is needed and how to do it
> How to rescue a choking baby or child
> Day-to-day injury prevention

The session will also include plenty of hands-on practice on both your partner and mannequins. We’ll discuss First Aid Kit must-haves and go through detailed examples of first aid situations and how to deal with them.

It’s not our goal to scare you- it’s our goal to help you feel empowered knowing that you’ve done everything you can to learn potentially life-saving skills. Thrive Health and 2HEALTH First Aid are here to help, to teach, and to field any questions you can think of. We want you to feel confident in your new-found knowledge when you leave this course.
We still have room available and would love to see you there!
Please call us to register at (647) 352-7911.